Better French Macron-Economics

The new Economy Minister speaks up for the jobless.

Updated Sept. 2, 2014 2:44 p.m. ET

Maybe miracles do happen. A member of Francois Hollande's new cabinet, barely two days into the job, took on one of the centerpieces of the country's dysfunctional economic policy: the notorious 35-hour work week.

It's time to rethink labor policy, newly installed Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with Le Point magazine last week. After discussing his desire to simplify measures that force small firms to offer progressively more expensive benefits the more employees they hire, he suggests that the...